Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-11

buried him, and then came on to Lamu in
dhow Our friend, the Consul, suggested
to US that we had better try and hire these
men, and, accordingly, on the following
| morning we started to interview the party,
accompanied by an interpreter
In due course, we fund them in a mud
hut on the outskirts of the town. Three of
the men were sitting outside the hut and
fine, frank-lookmg fellows they were, hay
ing more or less civilized appearance. To
them we cautiously opened the subject of
| our visit, at first with very scant success.
They declared that they could not enter
tain any such idea; that they were worn
and weary with long travelling; and that
their hearts were sore at the loss of their
master. They meant to go back to their
homes and rest a while This did not
| sound very promising, so by way of affect
| ing diversion 1 asked where the remainder
| of them were 1 was told there were six,
and saw but three. One of the men said
that they slept in the hut, and were yet
resting after their labors-'sleep weighed
| down their eyelids, and sorrow made their
| hearts as lead; it was best to sleep, for
with sleep came forgetfulness. But the
men should be awakened"
| ing-the first two men being evidently of
the same race and style as those already
| before US; but the appearance of the third,
and last, nearly made me jump out of my
skin. He was very tall, broad man, quite
six feet three, should say, but gaunt,
| with lean, weary-looking limbs My first
glance at him told me that he was no Wax
| wafi; he was pure bred Zulu He came
iStn 10 no,
placed before his face to hide yawn, so l
could only see that he was q ''Keshla," or
ring man, among the Zulus man as
sumes the ring, which is made of species
| Of black gum twisted in with the hair and
| polished brilliant black, when he has
reached a certain dignity and age, or is the
husband Of sufficient number of wives.
Till he is in position to wear a ring he is
| looked on as a boy, though he may be
thirty-five years of age, or even more),
and that he had great three-cornered
hole in his forehead. In another second
he removed his hand, revealing a pow
erful-looking Zulu face. with a humor-
Gus mouth, short, woolly beard tinged
with gray, and pair of brown eyes, keen
as hawks. l knew my man at once, al
| though I had not seen him for twelve years.
How do you do, Umslopogaas?' 1 said
quietly, in Zulu
The tall man (who among his own people
was commonly known as the ''Woodpeck-
er, " and also as the ''Slaughterer, ~ started,
and almost let the long-handled battle-aX,
ne held in his hand, fall, in his astonish-
ment. The next second he had recognized
me, and was saluting me in an outburst of
sonorous language which made his COM
paniOns, the Wakwati. stare.
''Koos" Chief, he began, "Koos-y-Pag-
ate! Koos-y -umcool (chief from of old
mighty chief! Koos! Bahia! (father) Ma
| cumazahn, old hunter, slayer of elephants,
eater up of lions, clever one! watchful one!
brave one! quick one! whose shot never
misses, who strikes straight home, who
graSps hand and holds it to the death
Il. e., is a true friend)! Koos! Bahia! Wise
is the voice of our people that says, Noun
tain never meets with mountain, but at
day-break or at even man shall meet again
with man. Behold! a messenger came up
from Natal, 'Macumazahn is deadl cried
he. The land knows Macumazahn no
more That is years ago. And now, be-
| hold, now in this strange place of stinks
find Macumazahn, my friend. There is no
room for doubt, the brush of the old fox
has gone little gray; but is not his eye as
keen, and are not his teeth as sharp? Ha!
ha! MacumaZahn, mindest thou how thou
didst plant the ball in the eye of the charg-
ing buffalo-mindest thou